Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) 2026 kicked off yesterday with a welcome address by Ang Wee Keong, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), who emphasised the sector’s resilience and its ability to turn current challenges into opportunities for innovation and sustainable growth.
“We've dealt with so many changes over the years, and apart from geopolitical uncertainties, we've also been working on things like supply chain disruptions, rapid technological advances," he said.
"These are all things we have been working together to prepare our sector and make sure we future proof the maritime and marine sector. Today we are looking at things like automation, artificial intelligence, as well as alternative fuels and propulsion technologies, all while maintaining safety and reliability, which is a core mission for all of us.”
The keynote panel, “The Maritime State of Play and What’s Next for Asia”, brought together industry leaders to discuss how maritime leaders are responding to rising geopolitical tensions, fuel and cost volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and the long investment cycles of shipping assets.
Highlighting the immediate impact of ongoing disruptions, SK Lim, Managing Director, Pacific, G2 Ocean, said, “For those out there who have not realised it yet, you are going to start paying more for everything that you buy, consume, and wear. Every carrier is imposing a surcharge from bunker to emergency.”
Ben Pike, COO, Swire Shipping, emphasised the importance of staying focused amid continued uncertainty, noting that, “disruption and volatility is just the new norm. I think over the last five or six years, we've just got used to this now.” He added, “We have our long-term strategies, our long-term goals and visions, and then we take sort of more of a tactical approach in terms of how we deal with the day-to-day issues.”